Self-medication Among Myofascial Pain Patients: A Preliminary Study

Self-medication has been reported as an option which people choose to relieve the suffering of conditions that cause pain, however, this could delay the correct diagnosis and therapy. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of self-medication among patients with Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD), and to analyze correlations with the severity of the disease. A prospective study was conducted with patients who had been diagnosed with TMD. The patients were submitted to anamnesis and a physical examination. This research also used the Fonseca`s Anamnestic Index (FAI) and a questionnaire that was developed specifically for this study, containing questions related to the first health professional contacted and self-medication. The data were analyzed using comparative and correlative analysis (Version 18.0 of SPSS software), with the level of significance set at